How to See Planet Mercury at its Best in 2014
There’s an often told anecdote that astronomer Nicolaus Copernicus never spied Mercury. And while this tale is almost certainly apocryphal,…
Trailer: New Horizons Gets Ready to Meet Pluto
Less than a year from now, the New Horizons spacecraft will begin its encounter with Pluto. While closest approach is…
Carnival of Space #338
This week's Carnival of Space is hosted by Allen Versfeld at his Urban Astronomer blog. Click here to read Carnival…
How to Not Die While Stargazing in the Cold
Bitter cold lies ahead for many skywatchers in the U.S. and Canada in the coming week as the polar vortex…
Cloudy Weather Led To ‘Fluke’ M82 Supernova Discovery
In a rare example of cloudy weather helping astronomy rather than hurting it, the team that found M82's new supernova…
Stunning Astrophoto: The Aurora and the Fjord
As compensation for the long, dark, cold winters near the Arctic Circle, residents sometimes get views like this. "We had…
Remembering Apollo 1’s Tragic Anniversary: ‘It Was Too Late From The Beginning’
On this day (Jan. 27) in 1967, NASA astronauts Virgil "Gus" Grissom, Ed White and Roger Chaffee died in a…
What Is A Super Earth?
The Universe is always surprising us with how little we know about... the Universe. It’s continuously presenting us with stuff…
Watch Live As Russian Spacewalkers Try To Install Urthecast Cameras Again
Think of this as Camera Install, Take 2. Russian spacewalkers are going to take another crack at installing the high-definition…
Virtual Star Party – January 26, 2014: Our Missed Supernova!
Hosts: Fraser Cain and Scott Lewis (@baldastronomer) Astronomers: Stuart Foreman, Bill McLaughlin Commentary: Tom Nathe, David Dickinson (@astroguyz) (more…)